Wild About Stewart Park

On Thursday, February 28th, at 7:30pm, Friends of Stewart Park will host Wild About Stewart Park, its 3rd annual benefit celebration of local photographers and musicians in support of ongoing revitalization efforts in Stewart Park. At Cinemapolis in downtown Ithaca.

Friends of Stewart Park (FSP) invites to you experience stellar nature images by accomplished Ithaca photographers, presented on the big-screen, accompanied by live string music, as well as commentary from the photographers. This one-of-a-kind multimedia experience highlights and celebrates the landscape and inhabitants ofStewart Park and beyond, as well as these artists who document the beauty of our natural world.

This year’s benefit features captivating bird photography by Sarah Blodgett and Rachel Hogancamp, and beautiful images of native plants and landscapes by photographer Dan Segal of the Plantsmen Nursery. Each artist will introduce their collections as the images take center-stage on the big screen. Musical accompaniment is by Tim Ball, Dave Davies, Tom Hodgson and FSP Executive Director Rick Manning.

Sarah Blodgett, a commercial and fine art photographer, produces images saturated with the unique beauty of upstate New York, and will present photographs from her fine art collections taken in Ithaca, the Finger Lakes region and beyond.

Rachel Hogancamp recently revived her passion for photography when she started to point her camera at birds, though she first began working in photography after graduating from Ithaca College in 1991. Rachel is Managing Partner of Rasa Spa, and carves out time to sit with her camera and capture the wonderful world of birds.

Dan Segal has worked with native plants for over 20 years and has owned The Plantsmen nursery with his wife, Sarah, since 2006. Dan’s expertise includes ecological restoration, residential landscaping and plant propagation, but he turns his eye to the delicate aesthetics of native flowers and landscapes.

Stewart Park is home to various avian habitats and native landscapes, and the park is an Important Birding Area. Friends of Stewart Park’s revitalization work ensures these areas, such as Renwick Wildwood and the Fuertes Swan Pond Overlook, are preserved, understanding that birds and the local birding community play vital roles in Stewart Park.

Friends of Stewart Park, a private nonprofit organization, works in partnership with the City of Ithaca and Wharton Studio Museum to restore improve and enhance historic Stewart Park by the park’s centennial on July 4, 2021. The revitalization process relies upon community support and all proceeds from "Wild About Stewart Park" will support these efforts.